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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Dance With An Apple

Coming back to Brooklyn on the R train the other day, the lovely dancer and actress Valda Setterfield sat down next to me. It was a three seater, so there was an empty seat between us. I saw her dance sometime in the early 70’s at some event that was held at the Whitney Museum. Her partner was an apple, and a more thrilling dance I had never seen. To this day I still remember her beautiful dance with that apple. I had over the years seen her and her dancer-choreographer husband David Gordon here and there and was always taken by how attractive and elegant they were. I didn’t know them personally. I would just sometimes see them at an art opening or a performance but I never spoke to either of them. Too shy I guess. Once in the early 80’s Tom and me went to see her and David dance at the Joyce Theatre, both of us loving their performance. Now in her mid 70’s Valda is still striking and elegant. I stopped reading my novel and leaned over and told her that I had once seen her dance with an apple and I have never forgotten it. “That was so long ago, thank you how nice of you. Its on film you know.” “Maybe its on Youtube I said.” But unfortunately it isn’t. “Is this train going to Atlantic Ave” she asked? Yes it is. She was no doubt going to some dance function at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I went back to my reading, not wanting to intrude on her privacy, but kept sneaking peeks at her in profile. What a great looking woman she is, I thought to myself. At 75 with her short silver hair, and her lovely lived in face, this was an artist aging beautifully and gracefully. Occasionally she pops up in some movie in small bits and walk ons. Woody Allen uses her quite alot, and she turns up as a guest at a dinner party in Six Degrees of Separation, and recently as a parishioner in Doubt. I didn’t tell her who I was; that I was an artist, that I did this and that, and when we reached her stop she got up and said thank you to me. I like to think that we made each other’s day. You know that’s one of the things I love about my city. Just think on the stinking R train going to Brooklyn, a dance legend got on and sat down next to me.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

More Momentos

A mother’s grief. The great Miranda Richardson’s rage at Jeremy Irons after the death of her son-“You should have killed yourself, then maybe I could have forgiven you. DamageDaniel Day lewis in The Last of the Mohicans to Madeline Stowe You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you" . Jodhi May jumping to her death The Last of The MohicansOn being told about the death of her 3 sons in battle a mother collapses Saving Private Ryan.A dying soldier calling out for his mother in Saving Private RyanSally field standing on a table and holding up a strike sign in Norma RaeThe final scene in church where all the “dead” characters sit side by side. Places in the heartThe damn ringing telephone. Once Upon A Time In AmericaA tormented George O’Brien standing in a field, a full moon shining down on him-SunriseThe search for a missing child in an enchanted scary forest-In DreamsOur first glimpse of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag-Some Like It HotMonroe singing Running Wild and I’m Through With love-Some Like It HotJoe E. Brown at the end of Some Like It Hot, “Nobody’s perfect“.Bette Davis chasing her fleeing lover out on the porch where she shoots him dead-The Letter. Bette Davis to Herbert Marshall-I still love the man I killed-The LetterBette Davis watching from an upstairs window as rain falls making her face look tear stained , as her daughter leaves her for good. The Little FoxesBette Davis looking on without helping as Herbert Marshall dies. The Little FoxesAngelica Huston accidentally kills her son John Cusak at the end of The GriftersKing Kong chasing Bruce Cabot and Fay Wray through the jungle.Kong on the top of the empire state buildingClark Gable kissing Doris Day after which Day’s legs give way-Teacher’s PetThink Pink musical number with the great Kay Thompson-Funny FaceGene Kelly dancing in the rain-Singing in The RainSusan Hayward’s final walk to the gas chamber in I Want To LiveA guard strapping Susan Hayward into her gas chamber death chair “Take deep breaths its easier that way” “How Would You Know” replies Hayward. I Want To LiveTwo former lovers after years apart meet by accident in front of a pop gas station. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'Tell mama. Tell mama all. Elizabeth Taylor to Montgomery Clift, both at the peak of their beauty. A Place In The SunShelley Winters on the phone begging and demanding that Montgomery Clift marry her because she‘s pregnant. A Place In The SunSterling Hayden dying among his horses as Jean Hagen’s Doll helplessly looks on. The Asphalt Jungle.A Failed robbery as thousands of dollars fly out of a broken suitcase at an airport as top thief Sterling Hayden helplessly looks on. The Killing.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Old

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Houston Literary Review revisited

More than a year ago, The Houston Literary Review (February 2008) featured 6 pieces of my work. For some reason the images were cut off and I wasn't happy with the job. But the other day I was checking around and the page is now fine, and I can now over a year later recommend the site. So check out the page, it looks very nice.

Frederica

My old friend Freddy who moved last year to secondary city somewhere in the northwest called me late one night to tell me that he was thinking of becoming a woman. Now this was quite a shock. “But why would you want to do that?” I asked. “I mean wasn’t converting to Catholicism and picking up and moving to a secondary city enough for you?” Obviously not. “I want a clean slate ira joel a clean slate, and maybe just maybe my estranged son could love me as Frederica since he doesn’t love me as a father anymore. “What makes you think that? And you think that Joshua would you love you as a transsexual mother? “I’ll be a different sort of mother that’s all.” “I‘ll say.” “You have a beard.” “I’ll cut it off.” “That’s not all you’ll be cutting off” That broke Freddy up, my common obvious jokes always worked well with Freddy. I was the Borscht Belt with an audience of one. To Freddy I was Grossinger's and the Concord Hotel rolled into one, a laugh machine. “What if you change your mind?” “I won’t.” “I never change my mind.” “About anything.” “You should know that.” “Wives, child, friends, step grandkids out the window, I made up my mind to leave all the things that I love and move to this secondary city, dark doubts and all,” “What about your mother Freddy, she can’t even accept your converting to Catholicism.” “To her you’re still a Jew. You were Bar Mitzvahed so you are a Jew.” “She will never get it.” “I really don‘t think Freddy that your mother understands that your sister is a Lesbian, I mean her only reference to a lesbian is Shirley McLaine hanging from the rafters in The Children’s Hour, and do you realize how awful you would look like a woman? If nothing else think about that.” “I don’t know, I think I could be a very handsome woman.”